Precious
by Kamichiee
Summary: Ultimecia reveals herself again and Seifer must deal with his own demons and confront his past if he is to redeem himself and save the one thing that matters to him now. Possible SxS.
1. Precious

_**Precious**_

_Precious and fragile things  
Need special handling  
My God what have we done to you  
We always tried to share  
The tenderest of care  
Now look what we have put you through _

Things get damaged  
Things get broken  
I thought we'd manage  
But words left unspoken  
Left us so brittle  
There was so little left to give

Angels with silver wings  
Shouldn't know suffering  
I wish I could take the pain for you  
If God has a master plan  
That only He understands  
I hope it's your eyes He's seeing through

Things get damaged  
Things get broken  
I thought we'd manage  
But words left unspoken  
Left us so brittle  
There was so little left to give

I pray you learn to trust  
Have faith in both of us  
And keep room in your hearts for two

Things get damaged  
Things get broken  
I thought we'd manage  
But words left unspoken  
Left us so brittle  
There was so little left to give  
-Depeche Mode "Precious"

* * *

Seifer shifted through the rubble, his once clean gloves now shreds of fabric clinging to hopelessly bloody, torn skin. His jade green eyes belied a sense of futility and rage as he threw rock after rock behind him, blinking back tears. Finally, he reached a hand, gloved with brass knuckles and twitching. He tugged, groaning, until a slender, tanned form finally slid to the surface. 

Emerald eyes met jade and Seifer's eyes flickered to the once awe inspiring tattoo on the boys face. The black ink was torn, half of the boys face was covered in horrendous cuts but he managed to smile, not his usual beam but something that might have faintly resembled it in another reality, which Seifer was suddenly realizing that he was living in.

"Hey Seifer…" Zell managed, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. Seifer almost bit his lip in concern, but swiftly shoved away his more tender emotions, leaving himself, as the world knew him, behind.

"What the hell happened here chicken wuss?" he demanded, his eyes flashing. Zell grinned.

"Dude… I… thought that maybe… I'd never hear that… again…" he coughed up more blood and Seifer wiped his mouth off.

"What happened?" he asked, concern leaking through his fiery persona.

Zell shook his head. "We… weren't ready… the… Sorceress… she… Squall… I wanted to… Irvine and Selphie… Quistis… Cid and… Edea…" he started to sob, choking on more blood.

Seifer quickly started to focus on a Curaga spell but Zell raised one gloved hand, wincing with the effort. "Don't… it's not worth it. There's too much… damage… and I…" he trailed off, losing eye contact with Seifer, who clenched his fist on the brilliantly blue and white spell as it dissipated.

"Chicken wuss," he reprimanded him, shaking his head slightly. Zell grinned and then his eyes widened.

"Squall… she took him… to…" he furrowed his brow, trying to remember something crucial. "The… orphanage…"

Seifer stared at him incredulously. "Which orphanage? There're about 100 on Centra alone!" he exclaimed. Zell shook his head.

"**Our** orphanage," he offered by way of explanation, smiling once more and then the light faded quickly from his eyes. Seifer felt something inside him break as Zell's chest stopped moving and he became still.

"God dammit chicken wuss! Fucking **answer** me!" he cried, grabbing Zell by the jacket and shaking him violently. Zell remained silent in his death. "Answer… me…" Seifer moaned, dropping Zell's corpse to the ground and beginning to sob, running his hands through his longish blonde hair as thunder crackled overhead and rain began to pour down, somehow signifying the end of the SeeDs and everything that had been steadying Seifer's orbit.

_Squall_

The young man groaned as he shifted in his bed. Or rather, tried to shift. He couldn't move, he realized, trying to lift his arms, he cried out in pain and let them drop quickly. A soft chuckle fell around him like gentle feathers and he suddenly remembered everything.

He was silent in his grief as she began to laugh hysterically, her voice no longer so gentle. _Goddammit…_ he thought, clenching his eyes tightly as recollections flooded his consciousness.

_Not too long ago; but far too long all the same._

Irvine and Selphie were sitting in the Quad; Irvine was playing his guitar, rather badly, but the sharpshooter's incredible voice more than made up for his instrumental inadequacies. Zell was humming along, slightly off tune, as usual, staring at the sea as the Garden sped toward Esthar.

Squall sat with them, yet they knew him to be by himself. He trusted them a bit more since the final battle with Ultimecia, but he had somehow isolated himself more since then as well. When it was all over and he wandered alone in time compression for however long he had been there, something had shifted within him and within the year, Rinoa was gone.

Quistis ran towards them, now free from her duties as assistant headmistress for the day. Her golden hair had been cut short, and now that three years had gone by, Selphie had grown her own out longer, although Irvine still possessed the longest hair of the group.

Quistis raised her hand in greeting and smiled warmly at her friends. Squall looked up at her and nodded, then returned to his musings. Zell sat up swiftly and waved enthusiastically as Selphie bounded up and wrapped her arms around her taller friend. Irvine put down his guitar and tipped his hat as a young girl's scream ripped through the air. Squall stood instantly and found a young SeeD cadet pointing at the ocean in terror. He whirled to face whatever threat it was this time and took a step back, his eyes widening in surprise.

A young woman stood on the water, directly in front of the Garden. Well, at least Squall assumed it was a _young_ woman. Her hair was stark white and long, almost to her ankles, although the billowing winds around her made it almost impossible to tell the exact length.

She wore… a long blue dress and soft angel wings fluttered on her back but as her eyes met Squall's he found the one thing he would always know one person by. Coffee eyes met his, flecks of gold littered them and cruel ruby lips drew up in a smile.

_Rinoa…_

She lifted a hand and they were all thrown against the Quad wall, Selphie screamed until she hit the wall, then she fell to the floor, unconscious. Irvine looked up, glaring furiously, his lilac eyes sparking with rage. Pulling out his Exeter, he aimed carefully and pulled his trigger.

"No!" shouted Squall, his gunblade knocking Irvine's shot gun out of the way. Irvine looked at him in disbelief.

"What the hell Squall? It's a fucking **sorceress**!" he exclaimed, pulling his gun away once more and aiming.

"No!" the blade crashed down over the gun once again, metal meeting metal as steely eyes clashed with amethyst. Irvine pulled back, shouldering his gun as Selphie stirred and his attention immediately turned to her.

Quistis ran to Squall, pulling him around by the shoulder to face her. "What are you doing?" she challenged him, pulling out her whip. Squall shook his head, backing away quickly.

"No," he said heatedly "You don't understand…"

The woman in the waves cackled delightedly and rose up in the air, purple magic sparkling between her fingertips. They watched in horror as she threw the magic like a ball, striking one side of Garden. An explosion rent the air and the smell of blood and destruction followed the crashing wave of sound.

The woman made a little mew of pleasure and began to summon more magic into her hands. Her enjoyment was evident in her face as it was lit by the cold glow. She turned her eyes to Squall, whose own eyes were wide with shock and… fear?

The woman smiled once again and lifted a finger in a mockery of the night when it had all began. And now, it looked like it was all about to end. She pointed her slender finger towards Squall and whispered a silent word.

The magic wove through the air towards him and he closed his eyes, preparing himself for the end.

But it never came. He opened his eyes, blinking his coal black lashes and then looking down. Quistis knelt, holding a metal pole which extended through the center of her body and biting her lip so hard it was bleeding. Squall knelt beside her instantly and grabbed her by the shoulders, wordlessly shaking his head, his eyes begging her to let him wake up from this nightmare.

Quistis smiled, her bloody lips a foul mockery of happiness. Selphie screamed. "QUISTY…!"

And Quistis died. Her icy blue eyes faded to a cold mirror of his own face, which he realized was streaked with tears. Gingerly, he lay her down and put two gloved fingers over her eyes, closing them… forever.

"OH HELL NO!" Zell leapt into the air and smashed his fists together, forming a lightening ball around his hands. Squall grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

"God dammit Zell," he hissed, "What the hell are you fucking doing? Do you want to end up like… like…" Squall shook his head quickly and took his hand off the front of Zell's shirt. Zell gazed at Quistis's body silently for a moment before Squall tackled him to the ground. A bolt of purple magic flew over their heads and Squall got to his feet quickly, glancing at Irvine and Selphie.

"We have to leave, we need to get to the Headmasters Office now and pilot Garden away as fast as we can," he said, turning on his heel and starting to run towards the entrance to the Main Hall of Garden. Zell grabbed him by the arm.

"But what about Quistis!"

Squall's eyes narrowed. "If we don't hurry, this entire Garden will be a graveyard. There will be no one to bury her; there won't be anyone to bury us either. Let's move," he finished, hurrying towards the entrance.

Selphie tried to stay near Quistis but Irvine yanked her away. "We'll come back soon Selph," he said, reassuringly.

Selphie collapsed into tears. "B-but… Quisty, we can't just-"

"We have to," interjected Irvine, pulling her away. Selphie cast a helpless backwards glance at the fallen form of her one of her oldest and dearest friends. Staring up at Irvine, whose eyes were slightly damp, she vowed to at least save this one person, the one so very important to her.

Zell chased after Squall in the hallway as Squall got into the elevator. Wounded SeeDs and cadets lay bleeding, shocked and sobbing in the hallway, but he ran past, ignoring his basic instincts. He knew that they had no chance if he stopped even once.

Selphie ran after Irvine, not even glancing at the people she knew by name and face. She knew that if she looked, she wouldn't be able to stop looking and then she wouldn't be able to help and then…

Irvine grabbed Selphie's arm, pulling her along. He couldn't bear the helpless look in her bright green eyes and he didn't want to see it. The elevator door closed on Zell and Irvine heard an explosion behind them. Spinning, he threw Selphie behind him as a young woman stepped into the hall.

She smiled and raised her hand in a wave. Selphie looked confused. "Rinoa..?" she said, puzzled and on the verge of more tears. Irvine shook his head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, tightening his grip on his gun.

Rinoa pouted. "Now, what kind of question is that Irvy?" The playful look in her eyes changed but her humorous expression didn't as she raised her hand and sent Irvine flying into the air.

"No!" Selphie cried, watching as he grabbed his throat, unable to breathe. She threw herself at Rinoa, whose illusion of herself 3 years younger had dissipated. In Rinoa Heartilly's place, stood a woman with long white hair and almost golden eyes, wearing a long blue dress. Ridiculing her old image of herself, she had pinned two white bird wings onto it, still dripping blood. Selphie tried to gain a hold on these but they held firm and she looked into Rinoa's eyes with an expression of horror.

"Rinoa…?"

Irvine collapsed onto the floor but he staggered to his feet as Selphie flew into his arms. Holding her tightly, he braced himself for the end, staring into Selphie's eyes, a million apologies for his failures in his eyes. Selphie hugged him more tightly, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Aww… how adorable," Rinoa crooned. Something flashed in her eyes. "Buh bye now."

Selphie felt an impossibly heavy force collide with her body. She clung tightly onto Irvine and felt his grip on her tighten. She felt herself falling away and somehow, she welcomed it and the light enveloped her.

Irvine knew he was dying as he fell. Something in him screamed against it but another part was glad, he wasn't leaving Selphie… all other thoughts faded away as he did.

Rinoa smirked caustically and shoved the bodies aside with her foot, opening the elevator door.

Squall pushed buttons frantically while Zell shouted urgent warnings into the loud speakers and Cid moved the wheel as quickly as he could. Edea calmly repeated the orders over the sound but she was wringing her hands and her eyes were wet. The Garden stopped suddenly, barely over land and above of a forest.

Students began to bail but screams still rent the air and suddenly they heard the sound of the elevator doors opening and they all turned.

Rinoa looked like herself again. Squall watched her silently as she approached Edea, who was closest to the door. Edea began to shake and Cid stepped in front of her. "Rinoa, maybe we can ta-"

His words were cut short as she shoved a glowing purple hand through his stomach and wrenched it out. She laughed as he began to gasp and fell to the floor. "Cid!" Edea cried and tried to kneel to help her dying husband.

"Don't be a fool Kramer," Rinoa's voice had changed into a cold artic plain. Edea slowly got to her feet. "Ah," Rinoa said in mock surprise. "You know who I am, do you?"

"Ultimecia…" said Edea slowly as Rinoa slid a willowy, fair hand down her face and down her neck.

"Right," she said softly as Edea screamed in pain and then fell onto Rinoa. Rinoa's beautiful face morphed into a mask of disgust and she pushed her off, approaching Zell.

Squall stepped in front of her. She glanced up at him and slid her hand down his hips, leaning in close; she brought her mouth to his neck and licked his quivering throat with her soft, wet tongue. "Don't worry," she whispered, "We'll have plenty of time for fun later." She grabbed his crotch and stroked it meaningfully.

Squall felt himself responding to her touch and took a step back. "No," he said. "Get out."

Rinoa's body crackled with energy and her face was a whirl of fury. "No?" she said, mockingly.

Squall shook his head, unsheathing his gunblade. "No," he said, more confidently. Rinoa _tsked_.

"I'll be here…" she said in a slightly hysterical tone, smiling maniacally. Squall's eyes widened.

"I'll be here… _waiting_!" she screeched as objects in the room started to explode. Zell covered his face with his hands and knelt.

"So-if-you-come-here!" she continued, in a bizarrely sing-song tone, kicking up her legs with every step around the room as she circled Squall.

"You'll-find-**ME**!" she screamed as the room erupted into flames. Squall felt a strange force on his head and blackness overtook him. The screams of thousands of students still trapped in the inferno rent the air but Squall only heard one thing as Rinoa's silky arms caught him and held him.

"_I promise…_"

_Seifer_

He stood, watching the funeral pyre burn in the night, the rain having long since cleared. He had prayed for a few moments but he honestly doubted it would do anyone much good, him being who he was.

To be honest, he was pretty much over the whole 'Oh my god, it's the Sorceress's Knight! Repent!' He'd done enough fucking repenting to last him for the next 6 lifetime's kthanksbai. Everything had been ripped from him. Even Fujin and Raijin, Hyne knew where the hell they were now…

He gazed over the pyre that was Garden.

He honestly didn't care how much could have been salvaged from the ruins of the place he had once called home. It had been wrecked for almost 4 days by the time he found it. How Zell had managed to survive that long… he shook his head.

Story of your fucking life, eh Almasy? Wrong place, wrong time, all the time. Something inside him told him that maybe, this time wasn't so bad though. Maybe he was meant to find his rival, save him from that conniving bitch that was… whatever the hell she was now. He smirked, fingering his dog chain.

Then, Squall would finally admit that he, Seifer Almasy, was the best there ever was. And he would kneel at his feet and then maybe…

He shook his head. Damned hormones. He seriously needed to save the guy and here he was thinking about sex. He shrugged and then shouldered his Hyperion, saluting the pyre, not letting himself think that maybe the tear falling from his cheek might not be from the heat of the fire.

He turned from the fire and started down the coastline, ready to finally put to rest his demons and save the one demon that plagued him the most.

_Here comes your knight in shining armor Squally._

_

* * *

First, let me say that Depeche Mode completely rocks.Precious is an amazing song, and they've been around a loooOOonng time, trust me._

I definitely recommend listening to them, but if you don't like them, don't flame me.

This song somehow made me think of Squall and Seifer, don't ask me why… I'm not a Denmark, kangaroo, orange person I guess Ahah…

This song was basically the inspiration for this song although I listened to a lot of other alternative music during this.

For Rinoa's bad scenes every single one lol I listened to raunchy music (and I watched a music video from **Juliet** alot, very sexy), because that's just the way she is in my story. I don't know if she's necessarily believable, but it's been three years and things change

And no, I don't hate Rinoa. I just wish she would die.

I don't know if this storyline is particularly good...

:D


	2. Bleed

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Bleed**_

_What you've found sure upsets you  
Never saw it coming did you?  
Its easy to be surprised with both your eyes sewn closed  
Handled with great precision, another thoughtless execution  
You're the subject of this exhibition  
A willing cadaver, a willing cadaver.  
Scalpel, sutured.  
Made whole again. _

_These cuts are leaving creases  
Trace the scars, fit the pieces  
Tell your story, you don't need to say a word.  
Call off the cavalry, can't save a wretch like me.  
Clean this with kerosene.  
If you can't leave it be might as well make it bleed._

_-Dashboard Confessional "If You Can't Leave it Be, Might as Well Make it Bleed" _

_Squall_

He lay on the cold white marble, almost blending into the table, his skin was so pale. He wondered where they were... his mind was breaking into little pieces, falling to the ground...

The sky was above his head, the sun shone down on him but it was cold and the sun was sickly, a pale color. He wasn't sure if the sun was dead and maybe the moon had taken it's place.

She had always loved the night as he recalled. The city she grew up in, Deling, had come alive only at night. He had met her in the moonlight as she smiled. And the final battle... that had happened at night too... or whatever time compression had at that rate.

So cold... so cold.

That is what she had screamed as ice shards shot into his naked upper body. His pants had long ceased to really keep him warm, they had reached the temperature of the room and offered no protection. His arms had been bound by thick iron chains and his Griever necklace held his neck in place.

If he could think clearly, the irony of the situation might have reached him. Imprisoned by the one thing that stayed by him always. Although, realization had long ago come that his friends had never left him.

By fate or otherwise, they had all stayed together, one way or another they all found themselves drawn to each other. They hadn't abandoned him as he had once believed.

But now... where were they? His mind was muddled and sleepy. When was the last time he had been warm...?

Far too long, he realized but there was no time for thought as a kiss so hot it burned landed on his own frozen lips.

He almost screamed in agony from the pain and the joy of feeling returning to him. Her once brown eyes gazed into his own, covering him in molten gold and he felt himself falling...

_Seifer_

No one to help him. No one would look at him. Over 4 days now, since he had wandered into the forests of Trabia and found his past dying.

He wondered what the point was... why was he still alive?

He would have gone down swinging, but he was so tired by the time it had ended. Fujin and Rajin had saved him, in their own peculiar way. But now he was alone.

He had told them to leave, they weren't branded, or at least not as branded as he was. Their eyes were so full of hurt as he finally told them he had had **_enough_** of their self-sacrificing bullshit.

He wanted to die. He wasn't cowardly enough to do it on his own though. Only an idiot would do that, Hyne knew what they were thinking...

He wanted to get them all. Those foul bastards who had stolen his glory and his life.

His world. He would have shared it with **_her_**... she was so willing to save him and he would have done anything for her. But she was a lie. Just like Garden just like... whatever.

_Damn_, he shook his head._ I'm starting to sound like Leonhart_.

_And now I'm fucking talking to myself. Fucking brilliant._

_God dammit!_

He hit himself in the temple with his knuckles, hard. Blinking, he looked around him at the red sands of the desert and sighed.

He had been wandering for Hyne knows how long. He was fucking sick of it. He didn't know **where** he was and he hadn't known for almost 3 days. His mind was starting to drift off down paths far too dangerous to wander.

He didn't actually… remember very much of his time as a Knight. At first… it had kind of been a game to him, he supposed. When it had become real, he wasn't sure. Deling City was a joke. The President had been someone he had despised as a pompous, weak bastard even before he had met him and verified his beliefs.

He didn't really look dead either. When the President was just lying there, it seemed kind of funny. He looked like he was asleep. How could he be dead? How could someone as small and beautiful as his Sorceress have broken this man?

Did she need him? With all this power, he didn't know. He wanted her to need him though, so he proved himself to her again and again.

Coming up with the supposedly _ingenious_ plan for Trabia Garden… Capturing Squall and torturing him until he screamed and was out cold. All of these were Seifer's ideas. Ideas so that he could be indispensable to her. He was all too dispensable to everyone else it seemed.

It had been all too easy to break out of detention and run to Timber, all too easy to go a little bit too far.

All too easy to follow her to the point of no return.

_Little boy…_

His jade eyes clenched shut as he remembered her, the way he wanted to remember her. Not Matron, they weren't the same person.

But her. Ultimecia. He would have teased her about her name if he had gotten to know her better.

He still loved her, in the way that a Knight does. Undying loyalty and all that shit.

But he didn't know if he would redo his transgressions. If given the choice, he might have turned away, or shoved his Hyperion into that disgustingly wonderful woman, seen her face crumple into the perfect death.

But it wouldn't have killed her. And then who would be Sorceress now? Selphie?

A bright and happy, yellow sorceress. Intent on peace and love. And how long until she got corrupted too?

He wondered what would have changed if he had never taken that final step that put him into the history books and onto the Most Wanted List.

He wondered if happiness could really be achieved by something so simple and so necessary.

Somehow, he didn't think so.

Suddenly a sandstorm blew across the plains, obscuring his vision and sending grains into his eyes. He quickly closed his eyes but then the storm slowed and he opened them again, bringing an arm up to shield himself. A shadowy figure lifted an arm in front of him.

"Oh… shi-" he managed to whisper as he whipped out his gunblade and brought it bear quickly enough to deflect a spar of ice aiming straight at his heart.

A dark chuckle nearly stopped his breath and he looked up in sheer disbelief into cold slate eyes that were as cold and dull as the blade which their owner held

The figure stepped forward and Seifer took an involuntary step back.

It was Squall.

* * *

_Hmm…what do you think is going to happen. wiggles eyebrows_

_I'm fairly happy with Seifer's thought processes and now to step into the mind of Squall. _

_Oh god… _

_Squall: Whatever… _

_Seifer: Like I fucking regret a minute of mass destruction. _

_Maybe I shouldn't have given him a soul… _

_Anyway, I know this chapter is short but I've been having to write them during school because my computer at home isn't working so well. _

_And I would've updated sooner but my life has been upside down lately haha…_

_Thanks for R and Ring Miss Almasy._

_That's the first review I've ever gotten. :(_

_God I'm sad._

_Kami_


	3. Confusion Sets In

**_PRECIOUS CHAPTER THREE_**

**_Confusion Sets In_**

****

_From the top to the bottom  
Bottom to top I stop  
At the core I've forgotten  
In the middle of my thoughts  
Taken far from my safety  
The picture is there  
The memory won't escape me  
But why should I care_

_There's a place so dark you can't see the end  
Skies cock back and shock that which can't defend  
The rain then sends dripping / an acidic question  
Forcefully, the power of suggestion  
Then with the eyes shut / looking thought the rust and rot  
And dust / a small spot of light floods the floor  
And pours over the rusted world of pretend  
The eyes ease open and its dark again_

_In the memory you'll find me  
Eyes burning up  
The darkness holding me tightly  
Until the sun rises up_

_Moving all around / screaming of the ups and downs  
Pollution manifested in perpetual sound  
The wheels go round and the sunset creeps behind  
Street lamps, chain-link and concrete  
A little piece of paper with a picture drawn floats  
On down the street till the wind is gone  
The memory now is like the picture was then  
When the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again_

_In the memory you'll find me  
Eyes burning up  
The darkness holding me tightly  
Until the sun rises up _

_Now you got me caught in the act  
You bring the thought back  
I'm telling you that  
I see it right through you_

_In the memory you'll find me  
Eyes burning up  
The darkness holding me tightly  
Until the sun rises up _

_-**Linkin Park**_ _Forgotten_

Seifer watched in dazed horror as Squall stepped toward him, some kind of demented smile on his lips. It was the first time Seifer had ever seen Squall smile and he had the uncanny feeling that it might be the last. Squall brought up his gunblade in a kind of disjointed motion and then he twitched violently, turning his head from Seifer and jerking back and forth. Seifer almost stepped forward to help him but stopped just in time as Squall brought his blade flashing up within an inch of his face.

His head came up slowly and his steely eyes fixed onto Seifer's own bottle green. He started to laugh uncontrollably, shaking, his eyes were fluttering madly and he was convulsed every few seconds. He still kept his gunblade up though and Seifer brought his own up, barely preventing his own demise several times. Squall's insane attack didn't leave much time for thought but he did realize something. _Ultimecia…_

He was certain it was her influence that was causing Squall to flip out. Squall lunged a bit too far and Seifer took his opportunity, snatching Squall's arms and yanking him back. Holding Squall's arms at his sides, he leaned towards him. "God dammit Squall, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Squall's eyelids fluttered and he suddenly wilted. "Nn…" Seifer found himself with a lump of dead weight in his arms and no matter how skinny Squall was, he was still heavy. Seifer managed to pick him up and put him over one of his shoulders, putting Squall's gunblade next to his own on his belt. The sand storm continued to rage around them and it was picking up speed.

Seifer managed to hunker down behind a rock, still holding Squall. In their little blockade, he surveyed his long time rival.

His clothing had changed, he realized, Ultimecia's doing? He now wore a black leather trench coat, almost as long as Seifer's own, with angel wings on the arms, in red and Griever on the back. He still wore the tight leather pants, Seifer smirked, some things just never change. However, he was shirtless and Seifer looked away, uncomfortable. He zipped up Squall's coat and then smiled at his own stupidity. _Just what the hell're you trying to prove Almasy? That you don't want to jump his bones?_ He chuckled to himself and laid his head against the semi-cool stone, closing his eyes.

When he awoke the sand storm had cleared but Seifer was even more lost than he had been before. He stood and stretched before realizing that a certain brunette wasn't where he had left him. "Shit," he cursed, looking around wildly, annoyed with himself for falling asleep.

He spotted a familiar shape wandering away from him. As he watched it stumbled and fell, it lay in the sand and hit it once, furiously before trying to get up again, this time swaying uncertainly and falling hard. Seifer walked quickly towards him, slowing his pace as he reached the angry Squall.

Squall glared up at him, coldly but Seifer could see surprise there too. He smirked, aware of how much it irritated Squall when he did it. Squall's eyes narrowed and he got to his feet uncertainly, brushing the sand away with unsteady hands. Seifer watched him quietly, his arms crossed.

"What do you want Almasy?" he said frigidly.

_To have mad wild sex with you. Now. _"Nothing really," said Seifer breezily. "What're you doin' all the way out here?" he said, watching Squall getting more and more worked up because he didn't know why he was there. He had no idea whatsoever why he was all the way out here with _Seifer_ of all people. His vision began to blur and shake and suddenly the ground tilted up at him.

He fell into the soft sand and Seifer chuckled, kneeling down beside him. "Stupid puberty boy," he grinned, lifted Squall onto his shoulder once more. He glanced over to the west, where the sun was sinking.

"So, if that's west," he murmured, facing the setting sun. Then he turned to the opposite direction. "Then that's east. And if I find the ocean then maybe I can follow it to the south…" _And then I can find the sorceress_. Glancing at Squall, who was seeming lighter by the minute, he sighed.

"Right now we need some shelter," he concluded for Squall's unconscious benefit. He glanced up at the sun again, shielding his eyes. He saw smoke.

"Dammit."

He reached Esthar in a record time and surveyed the damage with a faltering heart. The entire metropolis had been leveled; he couldn't see any buildings still standing… but one. Doctor Odine's laboratory still stood, untouched, completely out of place in the smoldering ruins. Seifer looked around frantically. Maybe the sorceress was inside…

He spotted an empty car only about 20 feet away from him. Walking over swiftly, he opened the back seat and tossed Squall in unceremoniously; slamming the door he leapt into the driver's seat and searched for keys. None. _Shit_… he hit the steering wheel in exasperation and slumped into the seat. An idea came to him and he reached into the backseat, grasping one of Squall's belts, he started to undo it. Squall moaned at the touched and wriggled around. Seifer flushed for a moment before realizing what he was doing and mentally punching himself. _Don't be a fucking pussy!_

Seifer took it off quickly and grabbed the little piece of metal used to hold the belt buckle in place. Slipping in into the ignition, he jiggled it around for a bit before the engine revved to life. _Hell yeah!_ He pushed the gas all the way down and took off down the ruined Estharian highways.

He braked about 15 minutes later, reaching a toppled building that had smashed the highway. _Why the fuck they made these things out of Plexiglas…_ he sighed, getting out of the car. Deeming Squall too heavy to carry, he tossed Squall's gunblade into the back seat with its sleeping master. He shut the door and then stared at Squall for a moment.

If he was left there for too long, he might get out and wander off. Probably a good idea to tie him up for the time being. Not too tight, so if Seifer died or didn't come back, Squall could still get loose, but tight enough that it'd take him a while to get loose. Now what to tie him up with?

His eyes landed on Squall's belts once again. _These things really **are** useful_; he realized as he unbuckled the rest of them and slid the last one from the ignition. He got into the back seat and knelt (the car was really roomy), wrapping a thick black belt around Squalls thin legs several times before buckling it and grinning in surprise at his bondage skills. Then again, after all the fun he'd had in Deling with the S&M club he supposed he shouldn't be so shocked.

Sliding up to Squall's arms, he decided to tie them around the front. He got the smaller, thinner, black belt for this job and looped it around Squall's bony wrists, no longer covered by gloves, then buckled it. Squall's eyes snapped open.

He was tied up. Seifer was smirking barely 2 inches from his face. He almost passed out again but managed to keep a loose hold on consciousness. "What-the-fuck-are-you-fucking-doing?" he hissed angrily, his eyes raging; a stormy grey now.

Seifer wondered if maybe he had gone too far this time but shrugged the thought off. "I thought we could have some fun Squally…" he teased, getting deliberately closer. Squall frowned at Seifer's playful cajolery, what the fuck was he doing?

"Let me go and get away," he said, firing each word off concisely like a gunshot but the bullets seemed to not have reached Seifer who just smirked and started to get out of the car. Squall threw his arms around Seifer's neck and prepared to choke him until he was let free again.

Then he realized what he had just done. Seifer's eyes were wide for a moment and then his familiar smirk lit up his face again. Squall almost screamed in frustration. He put his own hands, about the same size as Squalls, on the others face and his lips landed on Squalls before Squall knew what was happening. His mouth was wide in shock and Seifer took that as an invitation to slide his tongue right on in.

Squall had every intention of pushing away but suddenly Seifer's tongue rubbed up on the roof of his mouth and around his tongue and he melted for a moment before regaining composure almost instantly and tightening his grip on Seifer's neck. Seifer didn't pull back though, he just kept going and Squall felt himself getting hotter and hotter as Seifer's hands traced down his stomach, lower and lower and…

His eyes snapped open again. This wasn't the time for this shit. His friends dying faces stared at him from his memories and plus… this was just weird. He didn't want to be touched, not now, not ever. He pulled his face back and lifted his arms from Seifer instantly, pulling back into himself.

Seifer caught his arms, smirking. "Having problems puberty boy? I didn't peg you as playing for the same team…" he glanced meaningfully down at Squall's tight leather pants which were now tighter than they had ever been before.

Squall almost blushed but caught himself and gave Seifer the death glare of all death glares.

Seifer just chuckled, unfazed. "Catch you later Puberty boy," he said smirking as he got out of the car and shut the door on Squall. Squall looked up at Seifer as the tall blonde swaggered away. His eyes narrowed in frustration and rage as he tried to get into a sitting position and bumped something hard with his knee. He winced and then realized what he had bumped into. He looked down at his gunblade and then looked over at the steadily smaller figure of his arch rival. No expression crossed his face as he quickly cut the belts in two (they'd been on sale in Balamb anyway) and grabbed his blade, running after Seifer.

_Seifer_

Seifer stared up at the huge building and frowned. It seemed quiet but then again, you could never tell with her. She was pretty weird once you got down to it… He shrugged, shouldering Hyperion and climbing the steps quickly, the door slid open and he stepped in, not bothering to try to silence his movements. Stealth had never been one of his strong points.

_Squall_

_What a fucking moron_… Squall watched as Seifer walked into the only building left standing in Esthar. He had refused to allow himself the luxury of contemplating the meaning of the ruins, knowing it would only distract him. He would have time to grieve later, now he needed to track Seifer.

This wasn't very hard. The tall man walked right in the open, an easy target and if Squall had Irvine's skills he might've just taken the dumbass down.

_Irvine…_ Squall shook his head and concentrated on the task at hand. His friends' memories depended on him upholding them and to do that, he had to take out their killer.

_Seifer_

The place was deathly silent, no noise whatsoever. Seifer had a problem with silence, probably after so many years of hanging around Squall. He hated it with a passion, it drove him mad. He usually made as much noise as possible whenever it happened to be too quiet which was probably why he and Squall fought so much, because the Great Commander couldn't stand too much noise. He frowned as he heard a creaking noise behind him and whirled, his gunblade slicing through the air before he stopped it at a slender pale neck.

The person watched him uncertainly as Seifer kept the gunblade level, pointed at their throat. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he hissed.

**Oh…. Mysterious neh?**

**I wonder who it could be…**

**I had fun with that thing in the car, I know it wasn't very graphic but if someone can refer me to a good hot secks scene writer, I'd be much obliged. Although I'm not sure it's going to go that far between them.**

**Squall doesn't seem to care much about the physical realm while I think Seifer would be more reliant on it. But I don't know. I hope their personalities are okay, I think I'm writing them out alright…**

**I was thinking maybe this would only be about 3 chapters but it appears I was wrong.**

**And the song Forgotten, by Linkin park. Kind of reminded me of what Time Compression might be like I guess. Cheesy huh?**

**Thanks to Yoru-koi (Lady Black Mage)for the comment! I hope to write more or better eventually.**

**And also thanks to HellFenix. I'll definately keep updating!**

**Actually, I'm sorry it took so long on this chapter, I have a million excuses but you guys just want to read the story lol.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters or places. I stay awake at nights, crying about it. **

**-Kami**


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